Penstemon plant named ‘Blackbeard’

ABSTRACT

The new and distinct cultivar of ornamental, winter-hardy, beardtongue plant, Penstemon ‘Blackbeard’ with strictly upright, tightly-compact strong stems, lilac purple flowers for about four weeks and dark purple foliage. Useful in the landscape as a specimen plant, en masse or contain plant, and attractive to hummingbirds.

Botanical classification: Penstemon digitalis.

Variety denomination: ‘Blackbeard’.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a new and distinct plant ofbeardtongue, botanically known as Penstemon ‘Blackbeard’ and will bereferred to hereinafter also by its cultivar name ‘Blackbeard’ and thenew plant. The new plant cultivar of beardtongue is a hardy herbaceousperennial grown for landscape use.

Penstemon ‘Blackbeard’ is a seed selection derived from selfed Penstemon‘Pocahontas’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,804. Seeds were collected by theinventor and sown in the fall of 2013, germinated in a greenhouse inspring 2014 and planted in a research field that same year at awholesale perennial nursery in Zeeland, Mich. All subsequent evaluationswere performed in a full-sun trial garden at the same nursery with loamysand soil and irrigation and fertilizer as required. The single seedlingplant was selected for further evaluation during the summer of 2014. Thenew plant was propagated by basal shoot cuttings at the same nursery inZeeland, Mich., and the original plant and the cuttings evaluated overthe next two years until final approval for introduction in the summerof 2014. The resultant asexually propagated cuttings have been stableand identical to the original plant in successive asexual propagations.

No plants of Penstemon ‘Blackboard’ have been sold or disclosed in thiscountry, or anywhere in the world, by this or any name, more than oneyear prior to the filing of this application, with the exception of thatwhich was sold or disclosed either directly or indirectly from theinventor.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Penstemon ‘Blackbeard’ differs from its parent as well as all otherhardy beardtongue known to the inventor in a combination of traits. Thefollowing characteristics in combination distinguish ‘Blackbeard’ fromall other beardtongue plants known to the inventor:

-   -   1. Strictly upright growth with tightly-compact strong stems;    -   2. Foliage developing dark purple coloration in high light        intensity;    -   3. Flowering with lilac purple horizontal flowers for four weeks        beginning early summer in Michigan.

The nearest comparison plants are the parent plant Penstemon‘Pocahontas’ U.S. Plant Pat. No. 24,804 and ‘Dark Towers’ U.S. PlantPat. No. 20,013. Compared with ‘Pocahontas’ the new plant has flowersthat are darker lilac purple, the foliage is darker and the habit isslightly shorter. Compared with ‘Dark Towers’ the new plant is morecompact and shorter in habit, and the flowers are darker lilac purple.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The photographs of the new plant demonstrate the overall appearance ofthe plant, including the unique traits. The colors are as accurate asreasonably possible with color reproductions. Ambient light spectrum,source and direction may cause the appearance of minor variation incolor. The plant used in the photograph is a two-year-old plant grown infull sun field in loamy sand soil in trial gardens of a nursery inZeeland, Mich.

FIG. 1 shows ‘Blackbeard’ in the landscape.

FIG. 2 shows a close-up of the flower stems of ‘Blackbeard’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The following is a detailed description of Penstemon ‘Blackbeard’ asobserved and compared to other cultivars for two years in trial gardensand production fields at a nursery in Zeeland, Mich. The followingdescription is of a two-year-old plant of Penstemon ‘Blackboard’ in afull-sun display garden in Zeeland, Mich. with limited supplementalfertilizer and irrigation as needed and without any pinching or plantgrowth regulators. The new plant has not been observed under allpossible environments, and the phenotype may vary slightly withdifferent environmental conditions, such as temperature, light,fertility, moisture and maturity levels, but without any change in thegenotype. The color descriptions are in accordance with the 2001 editionof The R.H.S. Colour Chart of The Royal Horticultural Society, London,England, except where common dictionary color terms are used.

-   Plant habit: Herbaceous winter-hardy, perennial with upright overall    form; with new stems emerging from the base each spring; about 30 to    40 stems per plant; flowering in branched panicle;-   Plant size: About 86.0 cm in height, average stem 80.0 cm tall, and    about 77.5 cm in width about 60 cm above soil;-   Root description: Fibrous, well-branched, developing to thickness of    about 1.0 mm; color between RHS 161A and RHS 161B;-   Propagation: Shoot-tip cuttings; root initiation occurs in about 14    days at a temperature of 22° C.;-   Growth rate: Moderately vigorous;-   Crop time: About 12 to 14 weeks to finish in a 4 liter pot from    rooted plug;-   Stem description: Terete; oppositely branched in distal region;    glabrous; lustrous; average about 80.0 cm long and about 7.0 mm    across near base;-   Stem color: Nearest RHS 187B;-   Internode: Average about 10 per stem, average internode length about    5.7 cm, larger toward flowers;-   Internode color: Same as surrounding stem;-   Foliage description: Simple; typically opposite; basal leaves    oblanceolate, acute apex and sessile, attenuate, clasping base;    cauline leaves lanceolate, narrowly acute apex and sessile, rounded    clasping base; margin entire, nearly microscopically ciliolate;    abaxial and adaxial surface glabrous, slightly lustrous adaxial and    matte abaxial; fragrance not detected;-   Leaf size: Basal leaves to about 22.0 cm long and about 6.5 mm wide;    cauline leaves about 8.5 cm long and about 2.2 cm wide;-   Leaf color: Lower basal leaves blend between RHS 137A and RHS 139A    with blush of nearest RHS 187A, abaxial leaves nearest RHS 137A with    blush of between RHS 187A and RHS 187B; cauline adaxial nearest RHS    184C; cauline abaxial nearest RHS 187B;-   Leaf venation: Pinnate;-   Vein color: Adaxial midrib between RHS N186C and RHS N186D,    secondary veins nearest RHS N186D; abaxial midrib between RHS 182B    and RHS 182A, and secondary veins nearest RHS N186D;-   Petiole: Leaves sessile;-   Peduncle: Branched panicle; smooth, glabrous; main stems vertical,    branched at about 20 degrees below vertical; flowering portion to    about 17.7 cm long and about 6.6 cm across; up to 70 flowers per    panicle;-   Peduncle color: Nearest RHS 187B;-   Branches: Terete; opposite; glabrous, lustrous; lower branches about    5.0 cm long and about 2.0 mm diameter, decreasing distally;-   Branch color: Nearest RHS 187B;-   Pedicel: Terete; pubescent; average about 4.5 cm long and less than    1.0 mm diameter;-   Pedicel color: Nearest RHS 187B;-   Flower buds about one day prior to opening: About 22.0 mm long and    about 6.0 mm wide; oblong ovoid; rounded apex; basal about 8.0 mm    narrowed to a tube about 3.5 mm diameter, with rounded base;-   Bud color: Unopened petal portion nearest RHS 75A;-   Flowers: Zygomorphic; perfect; bilabiate with upper and lower lip    fused in about basal 16.5 mm; about 27.0 mm long and about 20.0 mm    across; face opening to nearly flat; lasting about five to seven    days;-   Flower attitude: Mostly outward;-   Fragrance: None detected;-   Corolla: Glandular abaxial, glabrous adaxial; bilabitate, fused in    basal 22.0 mm, with upper lip consisting of two lobes each about 4.5    mm across and 5.0 mm long; lower lip consisting of three lobes with    center lobe about 5.0 mm across and 5.0 mm long and two side lobes    about 6.0 mm across and 5.0 mm long; lobes with rounded apex and    entire margin; average length about 27.0 mm long, about 20.0 mm    across at face, about 10.0 cm diameter in central tube and about 4.0    mm diameter in basal one-third of tube;-   Corolla color: Abaxial between RHS N80D and RHS 75A; adaxial lobe    face between RHS 75A and RHS N80D; adaxial tube center nearest RHS    N155C; abaxial corolla between RHS N80D and RHS 75A;-   Gynoecium: One pistil;    -   -   Style.—About 23.0 mm long and less than about 2.0 mm wide;            color white, lighter than RHS 155D.        -   Stigma.—Oblong, about 0.5 mm wide and about 0.7 mm long;            color nearest RHS 155D.-   Androecium: Four;    -   -   Filaments.—About 20.0 mm long and about 1.0 mm in diameter;            color nearest RHS 155D.        -   Anther.—Elliptic; about 1.0 mm long and 0.5 mm across,            versatile; color nearest RHS N186A.        -   Pollen.—Abundant color nearest RHS 155D.-   Calyx: Stellate, campanulate, fused at base; not adpressed to    corolla; about 5.0 mm long and about 10.0 mm across;-   Sepals: Five; lanceolate, narrowly acute apex and fused base, entire    margin; to about 1.5 mm wide above fusion point and 5.0 mm long;    glabrous abaxial and adaxial;-   Sepal color: Abaxial color abaxial and adaxial color both nearest    RHS N186B;-   Fruit: Septicidal capsule; ovoid with acute apex and rounded base;    about 10.0 mm long and 5.5 mm across; color as developing nearest    RHS N186C and with maturity between RHS 165A and RHS 165B;-   Seed: Irregular; about 1.0 mm long and about 1.0 mm diameter; color    between RHS 200A and RHS 202A;    -   -   Hardiness to at least U.S.D.A. zones 3 to 8.—The new plant            perform best with good drainage and is resistant to drought            once established.        -   Pest and disease resistance.—Not known to show resistance            beyond that typical of beardtongue plants. No other            susceptibility or resistance to diseases or pests has been            observed except that which is common to Penstemon.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of hardy beardtongueplant, Penstemon ‘Blackbeard’ as herein described and illustrated.